


sweet music playing in the dark

by sedsempersolo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Ben's not named but it's Ben okay, Dancing, F/M, Masquerade Ball, loosely inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sedsempersolo/pseuds/sedsempersolo
Summary: Rey was not, in fact, fae. On any other evening, she could never get away with being among them, her lowly human features betraying her. But tonight, with her hair worn down to cover her rounded ears and a mask concealing her imperfect face, she could walk among the fae. She could pretend she belonged.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 27
Collections: Reylo Theme Event Summer





	sweet music playing in the dark

Rey peered up at the manor, hazel eyes glinting behind her golden mask. She reached up to stroke the shimmering ribbons that secured the mask to her face - a nervous fidget disguised as a preening motion. Around her, fae strutted and glided and flew through the front doors of the High Lord’s mansion. All manner of masks - feathered, jeweled, sleek, and crude - obscured the identities of the wearers. Disguise was the theme of the night, and for Rey, the theme extended further than attire.

She was not, in fact, fae. On any other evening, she could never get away with being among them, her lowly human features betraying her. But tonight, with her hair worn down to cover her rounded ears and a mask concealing her imperfect face, she could walk among the fae. She could pretend she belonged.

With a final deep, calming breath, Rey gathered the skirts of her golden gown and walked through the front door.

A menagerie of color and light and unadulterated wonder exploded before her eyes. Couples swept the dance floor in dizzying spirals. Dozens of chandeliers floated above her head. A band of fae played on a stage enchanted to hover at the back of the room. Their music swelled, somehow sweet and seductive and heartbreaking all at once. Waiters dressed in sharp suits gently pushed their way through the crowds, bearing glasses of sparkling wine and trays of little pastries. Some fae were already drunk, tripping over themselves with riotous laughter and swooning gently against the walls.

Everywhere Rey looked something new beckoned - the glint of glitter on the mask of a mysterious-looking woman, the brilliant opal of a creature’s wings as they fluttered, the sharp gaze of a tall man standing across the room.

Rey froze.

On the far side of the expansive ballroom, a man stood, staring at her. He was dressed all in black but for his elaborate golden mask. His hair reminded her of a raven’s wings, and tucked behind his back rested darkly-colored wings of his own. The man’s gaze did not move from her as he approached, pushing determinedly through the crowd.

Rey thought, for a moment, that this is what it must feel like to be trapped in a spell. Unable and unwilling to move, the distractions of the crowd faded away as her concentration narrowed on the man coming for her.

His features grew more visible the closer he drew. He had a long, sharp nose and plush lips. Those eyes which pinned her down were so dark as to be almost black - but in their depths, Rey detected hints of green and gold.

The man reached her, staring down at her for a moment. He extended one black-gloved hand. Rey took it.

He pulled her into a spin, seamlessly joining the parade of other dancers. He led her with ease, one hand brushing her back and the other grasping her own hand firmly. They stepped sometimes backward, sometimes forward, moving ceaselessly across the floor. Rey marveled at the touch of his hand as it shifted minutely across her hip. She’d been held before, by other men, but never had she so keenly felt the press of his every fingertip. Her dress swished between his legs, their thighs brushing for a moment before pulling apart. Rey watched his lips, felt his warm breath rush through them. The music reached a crescendo, and he drew his wings around her. Rey tore her eyes from his gaze to gasp in wonder at those wings.

They appeared as though made of black velvet. They were slightly translucent, and as the light fell through, the black was illuminated by flashes of shimmering greens and blues and reds.

The man chuckled at Rey’s awe, and she snapped her gaze back to his, flushing. The corners of his lips had turned up in a gentle smirk. Rey smiled back.

Hours passed, Rey could only assume, although it felt like minutes. They danced until the music became soft and slow, until the number of drunken faeries far outnumbered the merely tipsy. They danced until the ballroom was nearly empty, and the inky blackness of night outside was beginning to glow with the first rays of dawn.

At last, the two spun to stop. Rey stepped back, her fingers slipping, one by one, from his. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She bent her knees and bowed her head in a curtsey. When she rose, she looked the man in the eyes one last time. His eyes glinted with something other than the intrigue and joy she’d seen before. She could not fathom his thoughts.

As the first speck of daylight fell upon the doorstep of the High Lord’s manor, Rey turned and left. She waited until she was almost at the main road before she looked back. The man had not moved. He stood in the mess of the after-party, on a floor now made of spilled wine and dripped candle wax. The light of the dawn did not quite reach him, daring not to illuminate even the tips of his shoes. The man was still staring at Rey, his wings outstretched.

But the man did not know what Rey was. He could not appreciate how this evening had been to a human woman, who so rarely had glimpses of the wonder in which a fae like him lived. So Rey smiled, and she walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the first fic I've written since I was 14! Hope you enjoyed it. This is dedicated to the ridiculously encouraging ladies of reylo twitter, without whom I would not have had the motivation nor the confidence to write this. The title of this fic comes from Hozier's (who else, this is ao3) "Almost (Sweet Music)." 
> 
> God bless you!  
> sedsempersolo


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